Lukashenka’s Cup in Skiing on the Asphalted Pavement Held in Kiev (Photo) :: Charter'97 :: News

25 March the “Ukrainian First Lukashenka’s Cup in Skiing on the Asphalted Pavement “action was taken in the Maidan Nezalezhnosty Square in Kiev within the “Belarusian Spring” campaign conducted by the local party “Pora”(“It’s high time).

At 2 p.m. in the center of Maidan, which is pedestrian at weekends several dozen people held the ski, competition .The skies were of an ordinary type designed for snow slalom. Finish and Start of the pavement ski track were decorated by the posters “Quicker, Higher, Further!”« Kiev Welcomes Participants of Race”, ”Racing Against Bad Roads” and “To Each Participant His Own Ski Track!” Three groups of five participants each managed to cover the distance from Start to finish in around 20 minutes. The participants were wearing t-shirts signed with “Lukashenka’s Cup-2007”and the numbers from 111 to 115 (the European phone numbers of the emergency, police, firemen and others). During the ski race the 113 number broke the skies but didn’t leave the track. All the Ukrainian leading TV channels came to dwell on the actions.

One of the cup’s organizers Victor Zagreba reported to the BelaPAN “ By this funny action the Ukrainian activists are attracting attention to the serious issues-violation of the human rights in Belarus”. “We do not rely on immediate response of our President or Prime Minister to the action, Victor Zagreba added. Moreover, it has not been the first funny action for the last two years. There have been around ten of such actions of late. And they are better than ordinary pickets or appeals”.

Victor Zagreba reported also that the Party representatives hadn’t gone to Minsk for the day of Freedom celebration. ”It is none of our business to go to Belarus for protesting. We are Ukraine’s nationals, however. But we are able to influence the Kiev’s policy. And on the eve of Lukashenka’s visit we tried to activate all our creative abilities”.